The Loss of the American Dream

The Loss of the American DreamThe American Dream has evolved greatly over the past couple centuries. It has always been achievable, but not everyone can achieve it. Some people lose the American dream at some point in their lives and can never get back on track. Others can lose sight of the American dream because they just don’t fit in. Holden Caulfield, from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and the characters from the movie The Misfits are similar because they all suffered a loss of the American dream and were alienated from society.

Holden, Guido, and Isabel are similar because they all lost sight of the American dream. I believe that Holden lost the sense of the American dream before he even started writing the book. It happened when his younger brother Allie died. After Allie died, Holden was so enraged that he punched out all of the windows in his garage (Salinger 38). Holden never seemed to be in a happy mood after this tragic event. This is shown by the fact that the whole tone of the book was negative. It seemed as though Holden could not be nice to anyone aside from his sister. Holden’s bitterness after Allie’s death and his lack of effort in school show me that he has lost his sense of the American dream. Like Holden, Guido also lost his sense of the American dream. He lost it when his wife died while giving birth to their child. Right after his wife and child died, he gave up on finishing his house which symbolized that he had given up on the American dream. Guido was very bitter and negative after the death of a loved one just like Holden. Isabel lost the American dream too. She has been divorced for nineteen years and has helped seventy seven other couples get divorced as well. What is different about Isabel though is that she seems to be content with the fact that she has lost the American dream. Holden, Guido, and Isabel are all similar because they have all given up on their American dream.

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